Friday, December 5, 2003

Federal projects headed South Fulton’s way

Earlier this week,the final FY 2004 Appropriations bill was passed by the House of Representatives.  The final spending bill was a combination of separate spending bills for several Federal agencies including: Transportation-Treasury, Veterans Affairs-Housing and Urban Development (VA-HUD), Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-State, Interior, and Military Constructions bills. Included in the spending measure were several important projects requested by Congressman Scott for Clayton and South Fulton counties in the 13th Congressional District. 

The final FY 2004 Appropriations bill recently approved over $8 million for transportation projects requested by Congressman Scott for Clayton andSouth Fultoncounties.  The 13th District includes three Interstate Highways (I-75, I-85, and I-20) as well as part of Hartsfield International Airport, the busiest airport in the world.  Projects funded include:

•$400,000 for planning a multi-use transportation project in the city ofForest Park.  This plan is the first step in an ambitious project to improve the streetscape on Main Street, revitalize the retail portion of the State Farmer's Market, and link the city and the market with Fort Gillem via a linear park.   

•$800,000 for creating HOV lanes on I-75 from ga. Highway 54 to Aviation Boulevard in Clayton County.

•$1 million for redeveloping the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Hamilton Bus Facility in support of the operating the clean fuels bus fleets.

•$2 million for Navigation Aids for 5th runway (runway lighting) at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

•$4 million for a new Air Traffic Control tower at Hartsfield-Jackson InternationalAirport

The House of Representatives approved over $2 million for projects requested by Congressman Scott for the 13th Congressional District in the Veteran's Affairs/Housing and Urban Development FY 2004 spending bill (VA/HUD).    Projects funded are:

•$2.1 million for the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District which includes joint funding for several projects including Clayton County Water Authority upgrades and the Camp Creek Water Reclamation Facility serving East Point, College Park, and Union City in South Fulton County.  This request was made with other members of the Georgia delegation.

•$300,000 for additional Fish and Wildlife Inspectors at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. 

"Approval of these projects represents another great step in our ongoing efforts to improve the lives of Thirteenth District residents. As we continue to experience growth throughout the district, we are committed to laying a proper groundwork to handle the expansion that we have experienced so far in the district and to be prepared for future growth,"said Congressman Scott.

"I am proud and excited to bring these funds home to our district and am looking forward to working with Congress to secure even more money for our district in the future,"Scott continued.  

These projects must now be formally approved by the Senate and sent to the President for his signature.