SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — Ohio will receive $8.3 billion in federal stimulus dollars, but how do organizations and agencies wade through the government red tape to get a piece of the action?

Some answers were delivered Tues., April 7 at Wittenberg University by a group that included representatives from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office and other federal agencies.

The stimulus dollars have the potential to create or save about 133,000 Ohio jobs and provide tax relief for 4.5 million middle class Ohioans, said Jesse Gannon, community liaison in Brown's office.

In most cases, the funds will be delivered to various Ohio organizations and agencies through formula funding, direct funding to local governments, competitive grants and discretionary grants.

Locally, the Dayton road bridge repair project and the West Central Port Authority track rehabilitation project already have been awarded stimulus funds.

The city of Springfield received more than $622,000 for energy efficiency projects as part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.

Organizations and agencies interested in applying for grants need to begin the process by registering at grants.gov, according to Leon Mason, Brown's grant coordinator.

All 26 federally-funded agencies with stimulus funds available will post information on the Web site.

It is worth the time to apply, said Robert Hickey, spokesperson for the Economic Development Administration, citing a $900 million allocation in his division that is 3 1/2 times the normal allocation.

To help Ohioans navigate the details, Brown's staffers have created a comprehensive guide to funds available through the recovery package.

Detailed information, which is updated every two weeks, can be found at brown.senate.gov.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.