Boonslick Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Steve Etcher told Warren County commissioners last week about components of the $1.3 trillion plan which Obama feels can help bring the country out of a recession. Etcher discussed projects within Warren County which could qualify for grants under the program guidelines. The program specifies a 180-day window requirement for a project to be "shovel ready" to be considered. The commissioners and Etcher prepared a preliminary list which included the heating/cooling system of the new administration building, an expanded water storage system in Dutzow, new bridges on Bernheimer and Powerline roads, a low-water crossing on Dry Fork Road and an asphalt overlay scheduled for Stracks Church Road. Of those possible projects, the commissioners felt the most interesting one was the proposition of making the new administration building more environmentally friendly. "These grants won't be available for the actual constructions costs," said Etcher, "but money to make it energy efficient could be an important consideration when these grants are awarded." The commissioners said they would consider using geothermal or solar heating panels as well as energy-efficient windows in the design phase of the building. "We're talking about a building which may cost us $5 or $6 million," said Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage. "The heating and cooling system could comprise about 20 percent of the total cost associated with building this project." Etcher told the commissioners no local matching funds would be required under the terms of the economic stimulus package. The grants could start to be awarded as early as April, said Etcher, if Congress approves the president's proposal. "Projects considered to have critical components with a long-term impact are the ones I would say have the highest possibility of being approved," Etcher observed. "The key is to submit projects which are ready now or those which can be ready to go to contract within 120 days (of the bill passage date)." The commissioners recently opted to have the building's designer, Treanor Architects PA, proceed with a $5,000 site survey to determine the most suitable location for the administration building. But even if that survey were to require the full estimated one-month time period, and assuming the building takes approximately 90 days to be designed, a contract could still be ready to be awarded within the 180-day window required for stimulus package consideration. "The basic thrust of this program are bricks-and-mortar projects which can be under way quickly," said Etcher. "Congress has indicated these projects will not be funded with earmarks, but rather administered under several federal agencies." Etcher listed the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as examples. There are five primary areas under which grant funding is likely to be awarded, according to Etcher. Those include projects involving infrastructure improvements, technology enhancements, energy efficiency for public buildings, aid to state or local governments for programs such as Medicare or Medicaid and infrastructure projects for a public entity such as a school district.