WASHINGTON - Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced that he has secured funding for two Genesee County projects with the passage of separate bills in the House of Representatives on November 9, 2005.  Kildee announced that the Genesee County Drain Commission would receive $338,000 in the final Energy and Water Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2006 for the County’s North-East Relief Sewer/Kearsley Creek Interceptor project, marking $3.8 million Kildee has helped secure for this project over the past five years.  He also announced that Genesee County would receive $200,000 for communications interoperability between its law enforcement and public safety personnel with the passage of the final Science, State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2006.  Both projects were included in their respective bills at the request of Congressman Kildee.

“I am delighted that my funding requests for these projects were included in the two bills that passed the House yesterday,” Kildee said. “The additional sewer funds will enable Genesee County to continue to pursue a plan to restore the integrity of the sewer system by guaranteeing the efficient and secure removal of waste.  We must continue to commit the necessary resources for proper waste management to ensure the health and safety of our residents.  The funding for emergency response interoperability will ensure that Genesee County’s public safety personnel can stay in constant communication in times of crisis.  This will enable law enforcement across the city, county and state to help save lives by working together in response to emergencies.”

The Genesee County Drain Commissioner will use the $338,000 to continue its construction of 42 miles of sanitary sewer pipe and two pump stations in the regional service area.  The wastewater system now operating in Genesee County was constructed in 1964 with a projected capacity for 25 years.  Currently, the County Agency has an overextended system that cannot meet projected flows as a result of the increased demand for adequate disposal. Most importantly, this project will protect public health and the environmental health of local watersheds. 

Genesee County will use the $200,000 million in funding to upgrade Flint’s computer dispatch and public safety radio system to be compatible with the County/State system.  This will provide interoperability between all of the law enforcement agencies in Genesee County, including Flint and other state agencies.  They will replace the City of Flint’s incompatible VHF radio system with 800 MHz radios, the same as Genesee County’s frequency.