Small towns aren't shovel-ready

OAKTOWN, Ind. (WTHI) - Federal stimulus dollars are now being doled out across the country, but small cities and towns in Southern Indiana say they are not seeing them.

The multi-billion dollar stimulus package was designed to put people to work and help rebuild infrastructure.

But tight deadlines and expensive design requirements have the small communities sitting on the sidelines.

Oaktown is an aging community that needs to rebuild its infrastructure. Officials hoped to do some fixing-up with federal stimulus funding, but that's not happening here.

"As far as I know, Oaktown hasn't heard that they're getting anything," Carol Beaman of the Oaktown Town Board said.
State Senator John Waterman said Oaktown is not alone.

"You've got all of these hoops to jump through and secret insignia's to look at. It's just so bad you can't get anything out," Waterman said.

The federal stimulus package is about having shovel ready projects, and that would mean that cities have to have a drawer full of plans that are ready to go. In most small towns, that just is not the case.

Waterman sid in the seven counties he represents, only three communities have been able to present plans for stimulus funding.