MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Yuma is the first Marine Corps installation to put its stimulus funding to work by awarding contracts for all of its projects in just a month.
Originally, Yuma was forecasted to receive $6.4 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 funding for various solar and geothermal energy projects as well as infrastructure repairs. However, the station was able to secure all its contracts for almost $2 million less than originally projected, bringing the total to $4.6 million.
The decrease in necessary funding came mostly from a $1.5 million drop in price for the geothermal energy exploration project taking place in the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, which is now projected to cost approximately $1 million, said Ron Durfey, station Installations and Logistics energy manager.
The station was able to assign the designated funding so quickly because of its history of leading the way on energy efficiency projects, said Cmdr. Jake Ellwood, station I&L director.
“We had several projects ready to go that have been planned for some time, so when the stimulus money came down we were able to move quickly,” said Ellwood.
The local Yuma economy will be directly boosted by the $406,000 solar panel construction on building 233, which is being constructed by Yuma Solar. The other contracts were awarded to companies in southern California and Phoenix.
Infrastructure projects consist of repairs to an ordnance repair road, air conditioning in building 505 and 507 and the station’s sanitary sewer system.
With the exception of the two-year geothermal project, all work is scheduled to begin in August or September and should be completed by April 2010.
The $787 billion stimulus package was signed into law Feb. 17 by President Obama, in hopes of jumpstarting the floundering national economy. Arizona military installations are slated to receive $62 million, with $7.5 million planned for U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground.