City Government
Team Dave Can’t Spend Fast Enough
May 10, 2010 
The DAILY PAPER has a Cynthia Sewell piece Monday explaining that some “Green Projects” are being “scaled back.”
A plant that would have produced heat and electricity from burning methane gas created by wastewater treatment, and a revolving loan fund to help homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient are coming off the city’s list of stimulus-funded projects.
Logistics and time constraints have forced the City Council to cancel those plans.
What that means in layman’s terms is the city of Boise can’t spend federal stimulus funds fast enough.
Mayor Dave Bieter eloquently told the Statesman, “We were really disappointed. We all liked what we put forward. We still have a good solid breadth of programming.”
Last June, city leaders approved eight “green projects” for the city’s $2.04 million share of federal stimulus money. But to meet federal deadlines, the city needs to have 90 percent, or $1.84 million, of the money under contract by June 25.
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Comments & Discussion
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May 10, 2010, 2:42 pm
Let’s look at some history here.
A few years back, someone said “if we could capture that methane, we could burn it for heat and to generate electricity”!
Jan. 2009 “there are some rumors about renewable energy funds coming from the new administration”.
“Someone google “companies that can turn methane to heat and electricity” call three of them and get bids”.
June, 2009 “we got a little over two million to change light bulbs and make methane into heat and electricity”.
May 2010 “What do you mean we can’t get the contract signed in time? It has been a friggin year!”
OH! Right! We were spending all our time making sure we finished the contract for those damned custom cut rocks we are going to stick in the river” This is past comical and approaching sickening very rapidly! What a way to run a railroad!!
EDITOR NOTE–Cyclops, did you HAVE to bring up railroad?
May 10, 2010, 7:44 pm
What upsets me is all the streetlights being converted to LED. There is no study, ever done, anywhere in America that ever says street lights do what they are supposed to do; cut crime. That’s why they keep putting the useless, energy sucking, dark night destroying devices in the ground, because they supposedly make the city safer (which gets the mayor reelected).
I would suggest better uses as being community food garden sponsorship. I would also hope our city finishes that wonderful whitewater park on Pleasonton that will provide a great experience to a huge array of folks and be a powerful magnet for paying customers to all the local businesses.
May 11, 2010, 8:00 pm
Street lights create light pollution. Next time you are on the space shuttle or visiting the space station, look down at the earth.
You have to go out to the desert before you can really see some stars. It’s a problem whether you are looking up or looking down.
May 11, 2010, 11:13 pm
I agree with cyclops. Can’t wait to reap all the major benifits of such a well planned out, broad based project like altering the natural habitat of the Boise River. Maybe we can use some of that Federal money to hold early elections?