Mariposa News - Local Area National Park Service Projects Funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

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Local Area National Park Service Projects Funded
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided $3 billion to the Department of the Interior. Of that amount, $750 million went to the NPS to fund job-creating investments in critical infrastructure and facilities, trail restoration, abandoned mine remediation, and energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Yosemite:

Install Gate to Protect Visitors and Preserve Resource Habitat (multiple projects) $148,275

Additional project that will be completed with Recovery Act funds

Install Renewable Energy Solar Equipment at El Portal Complex $79,595

Paint Exterior of Historic Public Use Buildings Park-Wide $154,675

Paint Exterior of Multiple Historic Quarters $154,681

Purchase Two Hybrid Electric Shuttle Buses $146,343

Replace Roofs on Multiple Historic Buildings $154,668

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Rehabilitate Clover Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Disposal Area $150,112

Additional project that will be completed with Recovery Act funds

Repair Fire Damage to Tehipite Switchbacks $150,058

Repair Storm Damage to the Kennedy Pass Trail $150,195

Replace Potable Water Tanks and Provide Fire Suppression at Park Headquarters $59,925

Replace Propane Electrical Generation System with Hybrid Photovoltaic System $149,907

Replace Wastewater Monitoring Components $112,721

Project was already completed with other funds

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park Total $7,354,000.00

Whiskeytown Unit Repaint Exterior of Potable Water Tank $91,096
Project has been cancelled due to lack of viability or need

Repair Trails Parkwide $154,673

Replace Deteriorated Carpet $95,745

The current list of the NPS ARRA projects can be found at the following link:

http://recovery.doi.gov/press/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/nps_arra-project-list_march_2010.pdf

The National Park Service (NPS) announced that favorable pricing on its American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) large construction projects has resulted in savings of over 20 percent totaling approximately $129 million. The Service will use these dollars to fund an additional 30 high priority projects across the country putting additional people to work in ways that will leave a permanent legacy for our national parks through critical facility improvements, infrastructure repairs, and energy efficiency enhancements.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to do so much more with our Recovery Act funding than we originally planned. Certainly the market dynamics play a significant role in the pricing we’re seeing, but I also credit the execution and hard work of our team. These projects represent critical priorities for us that will also benefit the economy and create jobs in the near term,” said Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service.

The list of newly funded construction projects includes: The transformation of a former military facility into an education and research campus at Acadia National Park. The project will reconfigure roads, remodel three buildings into classrooms and labs and complete the majority of work converting the base to the Schoodic Educational and Research Center.

The installation of photovoltaic cells on Alcatraz Island in Golden Gate National Recreation Area to replace the existing diesel generated power on the island. The rehabilitation of the 138–year-old Catoctin Aqueduct, part of C & O Canal National Historic Park. The project will restore two missing arches of what was once called the “Most Beautiful Aqueduct” on the canal, replace missing handrail sections and generally improve its condition and lifespan.

The NPS is also announcing the replacement of 26 projects with 36 additional projects totaling $9.3 million. Projects are being replaced for various reasons, such as prior completion with non-ARRA funds or because they cannot be completed within the Recovery Act timeframe. The NPS selected the replacement projects from existing contingency lists using established merit-based criteria for expediency of implementation, job creation potential and ability to address high-priority mission needs.

The NPS established and followed a formal but efficient process for making timely decisions on project funding reallocations and project substitutions to ensure they are supporting the ARRA goals of quickly stimulating the economy and creating jobs. Projects that are being replaced will remain priorities for the NPS, so will likely be completed with other funding in future years.

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