City of Atlanta Submits Application for U.S. DOT Stimulus Grant

/PRNewswire/ -- The City of Atlanta and its partners in the Georgia Transit Connector initiative submitted yesterday an application for $298.3 million in federal stimulus to fund a 9.7-track-mile modern streetcar system in Atlanta.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's discretionary Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants are earmarked for local surface transportation projects that will help jumpstart the economy.

"If Atlanta is to remain competitive with other urban areas for economic development, we must improve our connectivity and mobility," said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. "A streetcar system will help make Atlanta a more walkable city and serve as a catalyst for development and revitalization in Midtown and Downtown."

The proposed streetcar route is a T-shape, with 6.6 track miles north-south from Peachtree Pointe/SCAD-Atlanta in Midtown to the Five Points MARTA station in Downtown and a 3.1-mile east-west route from Centennial Olympic Park to The King Center.

As proposed now, TIGER funding would cover all capital costs associated with the streetcar, such as construction and vehicle procurement. Several models for operations and management after construction are being considered. Atlanta's application will be competing against applications for transportation initiatives nationwide.

The partners anticipate the streetcar will act as a catalyst for new urban development, support local and regional land use plans, and accommodate significant population and employment growth. The streetcar is projected to meet future travel demand, enhance existing neighborhood character in an environmentally sensitive manner, and improve transportation access and connectivity to disconnected destinations and activity centers in the urban core.

The streetcar will connect with MARTA's existing heavy rail and will be used for traveling shorter distances within Downtown and Midtown, alleviating intra-city congestion. The carbon-free streetcar has the capacity to transport more than 20,000 passengers daily and will reduce MARTA's carbon footprint as it replaces bus service along the Peachtree corridor.

The U.S. DOT is expected to notify recipients of funding by February 2010. If funding is awarded, the City would begin construction immediately with a projected completion date of February 2012.

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Governor Appoints Sid Johnson as Director of Stimulus Accountability

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the appointment of Sid Johnson as Director of Stimulus Accountability. The position will be housed in the Office of Planning and Budget.

“It is imperative that Georgians are confident that stimulus funds are being tracked and reported transparently,” said Governor Perdue. “Sid’s business background and commitment to public service make him an ideal person to lead our efforts and ensure accountability in the way the state spends stimulus dollars.”

As the Governor’s point person for stimulus tracking, Johnson will replace Celeste Osborn, the state’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer, who is retiring at the end of August.

“Celeste has been a truly invaluable member of our financial team since 2003,” Governor Perdue said. “We have made substantial improvements in our accounting and financial systems that will benefit the state for decades to come. Even though these are not the kind of efforts that lead the nightly newscasts, Celeste has certainly left her mark during her two decades of service in state government.”

Others that will continue to play a key role in the state’s accountability efforts are: Debbie Dlugolenski, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget; Susan Ridley, Director of the GA State Financing and Investment Commission; Russell Hinton, State Auditor; Greg Griffin, State Accounting Officer; and Liz Archer, Inspector General.

Johnson most recently served on the faculty of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. At the Carl Vinson Institute, he was involved in the management and delivery of leadership development programs for state government managers.

From 2004 through 2008, Johnson served as the Director of Implementation for the Commission for a New Georgia. As the Director of Implementation, Johnson and his staff worked with the executive branch and legislators to ensure that recommendations from the Commission for a New Georgia were implemented throughout state government. The Commission for a New Georgia is a program that was created in 2003 by Governor Perdue to promote a management overhaul in state agencies to create an effective, more efficient government.

“I am honored to serve as the Director of Stimulus Accountability, and I look forward to working closely with all those involved in this important effort,” said Johnson.

Johnson’s other work experience includes working as Partner at The Leadership Center and serving in various state agencies including the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. He also worked in investment banking for SunTrust. He graduated with a business degree from the University of Tennessee and a government administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

A native Georgian from Claxton in Evans County, Johnson currently lives in Gwinnett County with his wife Leslie and children, Maggie and Ryan.
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Report Answers Questions on Stimulus Contracting

/PRNewswire/ -- State and Federal Communications, Inc. - which provides government compliance information and consulting - is sharing a report on government stimulus contracting to help companies and others stay compliant with state laws.

To read a free copy, go to www.stateandfed.com/stimulus.asp.

"Because this is an unprecedented stimulus package, with billions of dollars in government contracts at stake, many companies and their representatives who are seeking these stimulus contracts have never before been involved in the government procurement process," said Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications. "They must proceed with caution."

Citing one of many examples, Bartz pointed out sales and business development professionals might not realize they must register as lobbyists in many jurisdictions. Furthermore, they might not know about restrictions on gifts and other activities that could, if even unintentionally violated, result in penalties, prosecution, and elimination from consideration of contract awards.

States will distribute a large portion of the stimulus money, which comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Unfortunately, no two states have the same procedures, making it difficult for companies to determine what each state allows in regard to obtaining contracts.

The State and Federal Communications document - researched and developed by the firm's in-house staff of government compliance attorneys - is broken down by state and includes:

-- An overview of the process for procuring stimulus contracts, including
information on vendor registration, open solicitations, certification,
and RFIs, RFQs, and RFPs;
-- Which state department or agency is overseeing stimulus contract
awards, and contact information for that agency;
-- How the particular state defines "executive branch lobbying," which is
important to know because how the state defines lobbying will dictate
whether company representatives need to register as lobbyists before
seeking a stimulus contract;
-- What, if any, specific restrictions each state has on attempts to
obtain stimulus contracts; and
-- Whether lobbying for stimulus contracts affects political
contributions a company or individual might make.

"We provide similar kinds of information - and much more in the areas of lobbying laws and political contributions - to our clients every day. However, we decided to share this special report publicly because of the unprecedented breadth of the stimulus package, the amount of money involved, and the large number of companies seeking contracts," Bartz said.

The company released the report for "our loyal clients and also for companies that might not know about the unique information and consulting services we provide. We also hope our report helps increase transparency in the procurement process for these stimulus funds," Bartz said.

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Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces National Forest Stimulus Projects to Protect Public from Wildland Fires

In an address to the International Association of Firefighters today, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced several projects for wildland fire protection and removal of hazardous fuels that will begin immediately. These USDA projects, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will create thousands of jobs in California, Colorado, Florida, and Oregon.

"President Obama is delivering on his promise to the American people to create jobs," said Vilsack. "These private sector jobs will increase forest restoration and decrease the size and intensity of wildland fires. Providing healthy forests puts men and women to work and makes communities safer and healthier."

USDA received approximately $33 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to fund wildland fire management projects and the removal of hazardous fuels. Projects funded by the Recovery Act also will assist with technology that converts wood to energy. Wood bioenergy, derived from the fiber of removed hazardous fuels, has become a cost-effective energy source. The use of economic recovery funds for this effort will be an investment in America's future.

USDA anticipates creating 25,000 new jobs over the next two years on projects relating to land stewardship and watershed restoration, green infrastructure repair and in the production of energy from wood. Many of the most affected communities of the economic downturn are located near national forests. Rural jobs are being created on millions of acres in need of restoration work so that money can flow into local communities.

The following projects are being implemented immediately:

In California, $1.5 million of Recovery Act funding will create jobs across Northern California. The project work will include fuel reduction work near communities, Forest Service recreation facilities, and access routes and will also maintain facilities to reduce deferred maintenance while making crews available for fires suppression when needed.
In Colorado, $5 million of Recovery Act funding has been targeted to remove dead trees along 150 miles of roadsides affected by the large-scale mountain pine beetle infestation. In addition, fire prevention projects to remove hazardous fuels around private property and communities-at-risk and critical municipal watersheds serving Denver and the Front Range are underway.
In Florida, a state-wide hazardous fuels reduction program and a public safety and educational campaign are underway because of Recovery Act funding. Not only will this reduce threat to communities at risk from wildfire, but it also provides protection to the large number of vacant and foreclosed property around the state. Direct stimulus through contracts, services, supplies and salaries will help the hard-hit economy throughout the state.
In Oregon, initial wildland fire management projects totaling $16.5 million have been identified. Many of these projects are associated with the Youth Employment Initiative and will offer work that supports natural resource management and conservation education.

Announcements of additional Forest Service projects funded by the Recovery Act are expected in the coming weeks. More information about USDA's efforts regarding the Recovery Act is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government's efforts on the economic stimulus is available at www.recovery.gov .

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TweetMyJOBS.com Distributing Economic Stimulus Jobs

(BUSINESS WIRE)--TweetMyJOBS.com, a Charlotte, NC startup, is doing its part to help jumpstart the economy. The company has built a sophisticated job distribution system on top of the widely popular online service Twitter.com, which allows users to send short messages to people’s cell phones as a text message. Companies that are looking to hire can post a job opening for free through TweetMyJOBS.com, and anyone interested in that type of job will automatically get the job posting sent to them as a text message. In addition, if the job opening has been created as a result of the U.S. stimulus package, it will be identified as a Stimulus Job and will be featured and headlined on TweetMyJOBS.com.

“There are currently a lot of unemployed people who have a family to feed and bills to pay,” said Gary Zukowski, President of TweetMyJOBS.com. “President Obama has stated that 3.5 million jobs will be saved or created by his stimulus package. TweetMyJOBS.com is designed to help get these jobs into the hands of people who need them as quickly as possible. By using TweetMyJOBS.com, job seekers will get instant notification of any new job openings in their desired field and location. In a competitive marketplace, this speed of notification could be the difference between getting a job or not.”

In addition to U.S. job postings, TweetMyJOBS.com is already expanding internationally in response to demand from employers interested in using the service to post job opportunities outside of the U.S.

TweetMyJOBS.com is an innovative online service based out of Charlotte, NC that connects employers and job seekers instantaneously using Twitter. Employers can post jobs on “Job Channels” that specify a particular job type and location, and notification of the job will automatically be sent to a job seeker’s cell phone as a text message.

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