By HEATHER PYLES, CJ Staff Writer
There’s nothing quite like receiving unexpected money.
Pulaski County Fiscal Court, which just recently finished wrestling with a tough budget, was notified that the county would be receiving more than $350,000 in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to go toward county road projects.
“We just appreciate the state for stepping up and recognizing the need,” said Pulaski County judge-executive Barty Bullock.
The allocated $360,092, pulled from the 2010 Rural Secondary Road Fund “for the purpose of meeting the most critical of rural highway needs,” according to a letter written to fiscal court from the office of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, will go toward several county road projects.
That amount delighted county officials, and Bullock said they were under the impression the county would receive less money.
“It really surprised everybody that we got that much,” Bullock said.
Bullock said each county received stimulus funds for road projects, and the amount of funding was determined by population size and the total of road mileage that is in the county.
Those funds are specifically allocated for road projects — and, more specifically, blacktop resurfacing projects.
According to the letter, the county will be able to “flex” the funds to either secondary or county roads, depending on which roads most need the improvements. Bullock said one road in need of significant repairs in each of the county’s districts will be upgraded.
The county also received stimulus funding for the county’s high-growth training center.
The fiscal court was also notified last week that it will receive funding to go toward the Regional High Growth Training Center — specifically, $250,000 through the Community Development Block Grant - Recovery funds. Those funds will go toward new training equipment.
“We’re very proud to have that (the training center) here,” Bullock said.
