Mayors conference, federal funding requests occupy Coody in Washington, D.C.
Posted on Monday, January 29, 2007
Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody spent last week in Washington, D. C., attending the U. S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting and asking congressional leaders for $ 23 million for various projects.
Coody said the Arkansas delegation is easy to work with and does what it can to help Fayetteville, but money is tight.
"We'll be lucky to get anything this year," Coody said. "The only hope we might have is if we show up and keep our foot in the door all the time."
Coody, who serves as co-chairman for the Mayors Water Council, was working with the city's lobby group when not at the conference. The firm, Van Scoyoc Associates, scheduled meetings with congressional leaders, no just the Arkansas delegation, he said.
Fayetteville has contracted Van Scoyoc Associates since 2004. The firm also lobbies on behalf of the University of Arkansas.
The city is partnering with the university in asking for money to go toward improvements to the Northwest Arkansas Mall area and to the Arkansas Research and Technology Park, among other places.
The requests are:
• $ 9 million for improvements to the Fayetteville Expressway Economic Development Corridor
• $ 4 million for improvements to wastewater infrastructure
• $ 1 million for affordable housing initiatives
• $ 3. 6 million for improvements to the runway at Fayetteville Municipal Airport, Drake Field
• $ 1 million for Illinois River, Scull Creek environmental program management
• $ 2. 5 million for public safety communications, and
• $ 2 million for the Arkansas Research and Technology Park
The city has already received a $ 12 million federal allocation for transportation projects, part of which is $ 7. 66 million for the economic expressway corridor. The first phase of that project is a study to determine how to improve access to the area, which includes the Northwest Arkansas Mall and Washington Regional Medical Center.
To use the initial allocation for that area the city had to contribute $ 1. 91 million. That amount will come from the revenue generated by the 1-cent sales tax approved last year by voters. The tax - which includes an extension of the 3 / 4 cent sewer tax and a new 1 / 4 cent tax - will cover $ 68 million in transportation projects and $ 42 million of the cost of the Wastewater System Improvement Project.
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