St. Charles submits wish list of infrastructure projects for stimulus package

Congress won't start in-depth consideration of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package until next Wednesday, but St. Charles is the latest community to submit a wish list.

St. Charles has had several conversations with Congressman Bill Foster's staff to get a feel for what, exactly, lawmakers will be looking for in devoting dollars to infrastructure projects. Those requirements still remain the great unknown in the stimulus package as no project has received a thumbs up or down, nor has any money been tied to the stimulus package for the projects to become a reality yet.

St. Charles Spokeswoman Beth Mund said the city has submitted a list of about 36 total projects to Foster's office in hopes of securing whatever funding might soon become available.

Foster Spokeswoman Shannon O'Brien said projects that don't make the cut for the stimulus package can still find life through state funds or the normal federal appropriations process. That process works similar to grants that come more directly from individual agencies. However, there's no way to promise St. Charles any dollars for any project just yet.

"Our commitment to St. Charles is so great, we hired the former mayor (Sue Klinkhamer) to lead our district office because we recognize the value and importance of that community and the role they will play in our congressional district," O'Brien said in a written statement. "We would very much like for these projects and other projects that benefit communities of the 14th District to come into being. We sincerely hope that the decision-makers in Springfield see these projects in the same light as we do."

Projects topping St. Charles' wish list for the stimulus package include:

• Bob Leonard Riverwalk ($165,000). Creates a riverwalk along the Fox River.

• Tree replacement ($2.4 million over seven years). Replaces up to 19,000 parkway trees infected with emerald ash borer.

• Red Gate Bridge ($4 million). Creates a new roadway bridge over the Fox River at Red Gate Road.

• Randall Road/Woodward Drive improvements ($2.8 million). Creates a new intersection with a signal to alleviate traffic.

• State Street Creek crossing ($500,000). Creates a bridge over the State Street Creek, north of Route 64.

• Union Pacific Railway bikeway conversion (cost undetermined). Creates a new trail path to connect the Great Western Trail with the Fox River Bike Trail.

• Electric utility improvements/smart grid ($1.5 million). Would allow utilities better control over electric devices during times of peak demand.

Total cost: At least $11.4 million.