Ottawa Receives $1.1 Million In Stimulus Funds for Facilities

IRONWOOD, MI - Tuesday, July 28, 2009 – Forest Supervisor Susan Spear announced today that the Ottawa National Forest received $1.1 million in economic stimulus funding for deferred maintenance on recreation facilities located across the forest. These projects are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and were announced earlier by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on July 21, 2009. A total of 191 projects, funded at more than $274 million, are located on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service in 32 states.

“The Recovery Act projects we’ve just announced are central to creating jobs and building a better, stronger economy in the future,” said Secretary Vilsack. “These projects exemplify President Obama’s commitment to sustainability, reducing our environmental footprint, and increasing energy efficiency, which will benefit the 178 million people who visit the national forests each year, while generating additional tourism and stimulating local economies.”

Locally, the Ottawa’s received funding for the following projects:

1.  $570,000 for immediate health and safety needs for Lake Ottawa picnic and campground located in Iron County, Michigan. This project will upgrade the water and sewer facilities at this high use recreation area and reduce long-term costs for maintenance. Work will be completed through the use of contractors and is expected to be completed by July of 2010.

2.  $450,000 for renovations to the Camp Nesbit Environmental Education Center in Houghton and Iron Counties. This camp hosts hundreds of students as well as civic groups throughout the snow-free season. This money will go to improve the kitchen facility as well as cabins and access and reduce long term costs to the taxpayers. All work will be done by contract as well and has a scheduled completion date of September 2010.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also directs the Forest Service to improve, maintain, and renovate public and administrative facilities. As with the roads and trails system, there is currently a large backlog of maintenance needs for public facilities. Maintenance needs were identified through extensive studies of specific public facilities needed to support outdoor activities that are best provided on the national forests and grasslands.

Workers hired under ARRA will maintain public buildings and recreational facilities so that they contribute to safe, high-quality outdoor experiences for national forest visitors. Once work is completed, these buildings will be more energy efficient, use less water, have a smaller environmental footprint, and be less expensive to operate and maintain, thus saving taxpayer money in the long run.

Information on other Forest Service ARRA projects and related economic recovery efforts can be found at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/.