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Your Recovery Dollars at Work
Your Recovery Dollars at Work
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is reaching millions of people across Colorado through tax cuts, increased social service benefits, more affordable bank loans, and increased opportunities to obtain government contracts and grants. Most importantly, however, the Recovery Act is creating jobs, especially in the construction and green energy industry. Here are stories of Coloradans who have benefited from the Recovery Act. More will be added in coming weeks.
Jose Aguirre
P.A.A. Contractors in Thornton
Jose Aguirre, 31, of Aurora says "It's already helping us. We hired four more people for this job. Once you go into a state job, the pay gets better. It's better than private jobs. We're getting our feet wet with this job. What a blessing to get our feet wet with the stimulus money!"
Julia Kirklen
Denver Youth Workforce Office
Julia Kirklen, 18, a Denver native, graduated from East High School says, "This is the reason why I have a job, and why a lot of other youth have jobs in Colorado."
Marion Tongish
Twin Parish Church, Denver
The church anticipates that the number of families they serve will increase to 1,000 by the end of the year. The need for food used to go down in the summer, because of seasonal summer jobs, but this year the need did not go down. In fact, the need has increased 35% a year for the last 2 years
"That's very difficult for us budget-wise," Mr. Tongish explains, "and without the Recovery Act, we really couldn't do it."
Alison Barber
Castle Rock Construction
Alison Barber, 23, of Denver says without the Recovery Act, "at this point, Castle Rock Construction would probably be trying to lay off people," she said. Instead, they've won $39 million in contracts through Recovery Act-funded projects. That includes a piece of the $32 million project that includes improvements to a bike path on C-470 in Morrison. Barber was hired as foreman and started work in June.
"I really feel like the Recovery Act will trickle down slowly to everyone. I'm a more direct result."
Click here to view a video of Alison Barber
Arielle Nieves
Pikes Peak Community College
Computer Lab Assistant
Arielle Nieves, 17, from Georgia, now living in Colorado Springs works as a computer lab assistant, she is responsible for answering phones, checking-in patrons and aiding students at computer stations.
Arrielle's new position, which is subsidized by the Recovery Act, has allowed her to support herself financially and help her grandmother care for her younger siblings. Furthermore, while she has previous job experience in retail, her current position has taught her more technical knowledge of computers. Such knowledge will prove valuable in future work environments.
Dr. Marc Moss
University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora
Dr. Marc Moss, 47, was awarded a $3 million grant on June 1, 2009, paid for with Recovery Act funds for a 5-year clinical study. The grant pays for the first two years of the study and was awarded by the National Institute of Nursing Research and will be used to study a condition called polyneuromyopathy -- a dysfunction of the nerves and/or muscles that often is a consequence of being on mechanical life-support for seven days or more.
Patrick Jachetta
Patrick Jachetta, 49, of Arvada, says, "I'm not a thief. I just want to live." Jachetta is soft-spoken and clean. He expressed deep gratitude toward the people at the church and the free food. He said he didn't know some of the food, like the meat, was purchased with Recovery Act dollars.
Alberta Halle
Alberta Halle, 82, of Arvada received the extra $250 check from the Social Security Administration paid for by the Recovery Act. She said she put the money in the bank "for necessities."
"I think it's a good idea. I don't take it for granted."
Margareta Bancroft
Standard Renewable Energy
Margareta Bancroft, 47, moved to Boulder from San Diego in January 2009.
"I was very excited about the the Recovery Act because I feel like it's going to promote growth and provide a lot of opportunities to people who need it. I think it's an excellent thing for our president to do... because of the growth opportunities for all people," Bancroft said.
Rena Thomas
Rena Thomas, 59, of Lakewood says, "I didn't know (the Recovery Act) was helping me. That's great. It really helps," Thomas said. With the extra $250, she said she paid her phone bill, which had been overdue.
Thomas also goes to Agape Life Church to get food commodity items on a weekly basis. She said the fruits and vegetables and meat are really helpful for her diet. "I depend on this, I really do."
Jace Sanders
Construction Worker for CS & W
Jace Sanders, 37, of Pagosa Springs, has worked in construction all his life.
He didn't realize at the time that his new job was funded by Recovery Act funds. "This is the first real live job that I've been on that I've realized that actual stimulus money was being used on it," Mr. Sanders explains.
Mr. Sanders and his family are thankful not only to have a steady income, but also to live back at home in Pagosa Springs.
Eric Van Orden
Energy Efficiency Manager at Standard Renewable Energy
Eric Van Orden, 27, of Boulder, joined the company in 2007 and works with most areas of the company, including the sales representatives and energy efficiency auditors.
Standard Renewable Energy is growing fast, in part because of the Recovery Act. In October 2009, Van Orden said his company plans to hire 17 more workers before the end of the year.
"The results of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have been profound for our company and certainly helped us to create more job growth, a strong renewable energy industry and safe and comfortable homes in Colorado."
Darnell Mascarenes
Denver Human Services
Food Stamp Processor
While the increase in demand threatens to slow the processing of food stamps, Denver county staff is working diligently to avoid backlog, and Ms. Mascarenas reports that the Recovery Act dollars are helping these efforts immensely.
Bob Ryerson
Census Bureau
"I think that people would like to see the economy turn around overnight and that's not going to happen," he said. "I would like to tell people that there are jobs in the pipeline coming down, and to have some patience because it is working."
Andrew Cano
Weisburg Construction, Intern
Andrew Cano, 20, from Colorado Springs, has spent his summer doing what he enjoys most. An experienced mechanic, Andrew's past job experience includes working in landscape maintenance and automotive repairs. His current job, funded by the Recovery Act, has allowed him to pursue his passion further. An intern at Weisburg Construction, Andrew spends his time helping the Weiseberg mechanics fix lawn mowers, edgers and automobiles.
"If I didn't have this job right now," Andrew explains, "I'd be doing nothing but looking for a job. This job has given me something to do everyday, something to look forward to."
Jean Echeverria
Weld County Food Bank
Jean Echeverria packs food into boxes at the Weld Food Bank for families and individuals who are in desperate straits. The Greeley-based food bank expects to receive a major shipment of food paid for by the Recovery Act. They will get 137 cases of canned pork and 221 cases of cheese. That's enough to give for almost 3,000 individuals and families.
The food bank also expects to receive major shipments of eggs, sliced turkey and whole chickens. Echeverria said she's never seen such high quality protein products like those since she began working at the food bank last year.
Alex Johnson
Preparing Colorado for Tomorrow
Alex Johnson, 26, of Silverthorne had been working in construction in Colorado for about two years when he got laid off. After he got laid off, Johnson applied for more than 200 jobs with no luck. In May, he applied for a job as an installer with the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, an agency that is administering the expanded low-income weatherization program funded through the Recovery Act. About 75 people applied for the $14/hour job and Johnson was hired.
"I was hoping that I would get some of that stimulus money and here I am."
Jan Huston
Agape Life Church, Arvada
Jan Huston, of Arvada works at Agape Life Church. The church distributes food every Thursday to low-income residents from Jefferson County.
"They give out food from several sources: the Food Bank of the Rockies through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, food purchased with church congregation fund donations from the Food Bank of Rockies, donations from stores, restaurants and the church congregation."
Alexey Bogatiryov
Census Bureau
Alexey Bogatiryov, 24, of Centennial emigrated to the United States from his native Ukraine in 1995 when he was 10 years old. He graduated from the University of Denver.
"After college, I did whatever I could to get by. I was in a lot of debt. I relied on my credit card to get by."
In June 2009, Bogatiryov was hired as a partnership assistant for the local Census Bureau.
"I was always interested in serving my new country," he said. The new job "will definitely help me further my career with the government. I hope someday to work with the State Department as a foreign service officer."
Kevin DeLange
Dry Dock Brewery
Kevin DeLange, owner of Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora received the "Small Brewing Company of the Year" award at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.
The Recovery Act loan provided the funds to expand Dry Dock Brewery. Their customer base doubled immediately and DeLange expects it to grow 30% over the near year.
"The Recovery Act has benefited out businesses primarily by being able to expand quicker with equipment purchases we otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford at the time which has helped us grow faster than we would have been able to."
Carla Pacheco
Census Bureau
Carla Pacheco, 45, of Littleton, was laid off from her job as an events manager for an electronics company in the fall of 2008. For nine months, she searched for work. Pacheco was hired by the U.S. Census Bureau in June 2009 to work as a partnership assistant.
Pacheco's impression of the Recovery Act was that it was designed to help develop new business for companies and to create jobs. She said she is grateful to have a job paid for with Recovery Act funds.
"It's incredible," she said of the Recovery Act. "It's government at work. It keeps us living and surviving. If I didn't have this job I'd still be looking. I really don't know what I'd do without this job."
Brent Davis
Peetz Telephone Cooperative
When the Recovery Act was signed, Davis saw an opportunity to win funding for a critical project: providing high-speed Internet access -- otherwise known as broadband -- to his community.
In August, Davis wrote a grant application from his truck while harvesting wheat. A week before Christmas, Davis got a call on his cell phone from the USDA Rural Utility Service. He had won a $1.5 million grant to lay more than 40 miles of fiber optic cables in his area.
"Without it (ARRA), we would not be able to deliver broadband to any customers. As time goes on and other companies and are able to provide service, we would end up going away."
Jason Radaelli
Weatherization
Jason Radaelli, 40, from Denver was worried his job with Arapahoe County in the maintenence department was going to be eliminated. He began to look for work. Radaelli was hired in July of 2009 working in the weatherization department of Arapahoe County.
"I think (the Recovery Act) is great. My background training was in heating and air conditioning. I knew the (Recovery Act) money was coming and I knew this was the field to get into."
Hazel Johnson
Nursing Assistant
Hazel Johnson, 65, lives in a 3 bedroom home built in 1952 that has little insulation.
In December 2009, a team from Arapahoe County came to her house to add insulation in the walls and attic, fix air leakages, seal ducts in the floors and install a new, energy-efficient refrigerator. The work is worth about $6,000 but Ms. Johnson won't have to pay a cent.
"The stimulus is helping to keep house warm and it's saving me some money."
Chris Riley
Pueblo Fire Chief
Fire Station 4 in Pueblo has seen much better days. Built in 1939, the building's wood frame has been badly damaged by termites. The City of Pueblo has been planning for years to replace the station and faced the prospect of borrowing millions of dollars to complete the project.
The Recovery Act devoted $210 million, through the Federal Emergency Management Administration, for capital improvements at fire stations. The Pueblo Fire Department jumped at the competitive grant opportunity and won a $2.7 million grant to complete the station construction.
"The stimulus allows us to complete a mission-critical project... which will give us improved response times."
Gary Yara
Weatherization Technician
Gary Yara, 42 of Aurora, wasn't satisfied with his current job as a satelitte dish installer. He wanted a job that could make a positive impact on people's lives.
He was hired in July 2009 by Arapahoe County as a weatherization technician. The job provides a higher salary so that Mr. Yara can support his wife and two children. It also gives him a much stronger sense of personal satisfaction. Each weekday, he works in homes of low-income families and individuals to make the homes more energy efficient.
"This job is more satisfying. The service you give people is great."
Kay Norton
University of Northern Colorado
Kay Norton, President of the University of Northern Colorado
Kay Norton knows from experience how difficult it is to deal with an economic downturn. Right after taking the job of President at the University of Northern Colorado in July 2002, Norton found out that her university was losing a huge amount of state funding.
Today, UNC and the other higher education institutions in Colorado face another uncertain financial future. But this time, the colleges and universities are able to sustain their programs because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
So far, UNC has received $14 million in Recovery Act funds.
Charles Collins
Phlebotomist
Charles Collins, 57 of Colorado Springs found himself without a job and struggling to pay bills.
Mr. Collins responded proactively and contacted the Pikes Peak Community Action Agency, where he was introduced to the Transitions to Independence Program.
He entered a program training to become a phlebotomist. The program is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Community Services Development Block Program.
Mr. Collins received his phlebotomy certificate in late 2009 and is searching for work.
"It worked for me. It gave me a job skill. It’s one more feather in my cap that I can use to go out and find work."
Denver Gardens
Afforable Housing Property
"The TCAP Funding is the main reason this project is running right now. Without TCAP there was a sizable gap in our financial status. TCAP funding bridged that gap." - Jason Van Aernam, Community Housing Concepts
MS Forest LLC
Forestry Company in Las Animas County
MS Forest LLC is surviving the economic downturn because of a $1 million Recovery Act grant from the Colorado State Forest Service.
The grant allowed the company to hire three full-time workers they had laid off in 2007.
Ms. Carley said she couldn't over-emphasize the importance of this grant.
"If we didn't have this grant, M S Forest would be closed."
Larry Mingo
Coolerado
Larry Mingo, 52, of Denver struggled to find work once he lost his job. He worked temporary jobs and often looked for work at local workforce centers.
While applying for food stamps, Mr. Mingo learned about a job training program at the Denver Office of Economic Development. A counselor at that office referred him to Coolerado, a Denver company that makes super energy efficient air conditioners.
In September 2009, Coolerado hired Mr. Mingo to work on the manufacturing line.
"If it hadn’t been for this, I’d be out on the street."
Phillip Weathers
Rentech Inc.
Philip W. Weathers, plant manager at the Commerce City facility, expects the grant to create between four and eight new jobs. The benefit of this grant is clearly long-term.
"If we want to lower the carbon footprint of petroleum-based fuels, this is the way to do it," Weathers said.
With the help of the Recovery Act, Rentech and its partners are "lowering the carbon footprint and you’re lowering the cost and we’re decreasing the dependence on foreign oil."
Elaine Johnson
Crestone, Colorado
The Recovery Act is giving the small town of Crestone a big step up. The Saguache County town is growing but lacks commercial sites like a Laundromat and hardware store. Residents often must drive about 50 miles to shop and eat out.
Johnson is overseeing a new commercial project that will open a new Crestone Mercantile, a large-scale grocery store, Laundromat, diner, lumberyard and hardware store.
The grocery store is expected to open in May 2010, with the other stores opening later.
"We are creating 22 jobs in a community with very high unemployment."
Duane Bartley
UQM Technologies
Last year was series of heartbreaks for the 40-year-old from Watkins. He got laid off from a job at an electric battery company in Boulder, where he had worked for a year and a half. His wife lost her veterinary business and had to declare bankruptcy.
he heard from a friend that UQM Technologies in Frederick, where he had applied for work years ago, was hiring. UQM Technologies was expanding operations thanks to a $45.1 million Recovery Act grant from the US Department of Energy.
"The effect of the Recovery Act on my personal life has been incredible in that I have less fear of the future."
Fairmount Fire Station
Wheatridge, Colorado
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is helping the Fairmount Fire Protection District fix a persistent problem in its ability to quickly respond to emergency calls.
In 2009, as the fire department began planning to renovate the fire station when they learned of a capital grant funded by the Recovery Act and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The new station will allow the district to reduce response times to emergency calls.
The Recovery Act "has been great. It came at an excellent time for our organization," Chief Angell said. "It has already helped the community immensely."
Click here to read more and view a slideshow about the Fairmount Fire Station
Connie Harrington
Peak Vista Community Health Center
The Recovery Act awarded $1.3 million to Peak Vista to hire fourteen additional staff and purchase a state-of-the art vehicle for administering medical and dental care to low-income individuals.
Because of the Recovery Act, Harrington and Peak Vista have been able to provide medical and dental treatment to over 3,600 individuals throughout the region.
"The fact that we are employed and taking care of these kids is all because of the Recovery Act."
Darrin Brown
Construction Foreman
Lakewood, Colorado
Through Recovery Act grants, Brown and his team were contracted to replace and upgrade three out-of-date industrial boilers with new energy-efficient units.
Weatherization projects created though the Recovery Act have helped Evans-Richmond pay the salaries for Brown and four other employees.
"We did a lot of short weeks around the holidays and we would've had to lay people off if it wasn't for this project created by the Recovery Act."