Tracking Stimulus Dollars in North Carolina

Greenville - Our state has received billions of dollars as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act since last year.

It was supposed to give all 100 counties of our state an economic shot in the arm.

More than 200 billion federal dollars has been awarded to states across the country since February of 2009. North Carolina alone is expected to see more than $9.5 billion.

"It's an unprecedented amount of speed to put a program of this enormity together, also an unprecedented amount of transparency, accountability and efficiency required,” said Cathy Akroyd, communications director for the North Carolina Office of Economic Recovery and Investment.

"The funding across the program is in various states of arrival. Some is underway, some will be underway, some has been identified,” she said.

There are projects completed or under construction all across the state. Here in the east, Pitt, Lenoir and Onslow counties will receive the most money.

Pitt will get $94.8 dollars, Lenoir $98.2 million and Onslow more than $104 million. But it's not just a federal dollar free for all.

“Any dollars we can get, we've tried to put our hands around,” said Pitt County Manager Scott Elliot.

He says the county has only received $4.5 million. It's going to programs with the Department of Social Services, the Pitt County Health Department for Flu Mist, the sheriff's office, among other things.

Akroyd says just because the county is getting more than $90 million, doesn't mean it goes through the county offices. "Some come directly to local and municipal governments, to universities, to non profit agencies; there's a whole spectrum of kinds of receivers of the grant money."

The money is funneled through to each county primarily in the form of entitlements and grants. Each county received a certain amount of entitlement money depending on factors such as their population. Grants had to be applied for and won.

A $7.6 million grant is building a new terminal at the Pitt-Greenville Airport.

Executive Director of Pitt-Greenville Airport, Jerry Vickers explained, "It will give us the ability to certainly have two airlines at full capacity and also process those aircraft at one time.”

It will also allow them to complete the project in a third of the time.

"It probably would have taken at least three years piecing it together with other grant funds,” said Vickers.

Instead, the new terminal should open in October of this year. In Lenoir County, 64 million federal dollars built the Felix Harvey Parkway.

"Without those funds, that's a project that wouldn't be going on today,” said Mark Pope.
Pope is the Lenoir County Economic Director says the road serves as a critical artery to two major private companies who have decided to set up shop in the area; Sanderson Farms and Spirit Aero Systems.

"I think it's huge and I think it's huge because it reaches more than just Lenoir County because it's an eastern region project," said Pope.

He says it also meant putting nearly 2,000 people back to work.

Pope said, "We've been very blessed and very fortunate to have something happening in the construction area. Even though it's not sustainable, each one of those projects are 18 months to 2 years to 3 years projects. At least gives them something to have disposable income and have jobs."

And jobs are one of the primary reasons behind the recovery money; from construction projects, to cops on the street.

“I know that they had a lot of applicants and I was one of the ones they were lucky enough to be chose," said Officer Brandon High. He was one of eight hired in Greenville thanks to a $1.6 million dollar grant.

“The city keeps on growing and growing and you always need more police officers on the street,” said High.

While it's clear the recovery money is being put to good use, it was only supposed to be a shot in the arm, not a sustainable source of income.

"This is temporary assistance. Once the funds run out, run out and folks who may be receiving daycare assistance, then would not have it."

That means the city would have to pick up the tab to pay for positions people like High now have. And workers building projects have to hope for more to come along once these are complete. Only then, will we know if we really did recover.