news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Money is already on the way for road and housing projects.

Now, how about some cash for a new police domestic violence squad and better Internet connections in the library?

Those are just two items on a revised wish list of programs and projects the city would like to see funded through the $787 billion federal stimulus package approved last month.

The federal economic recovery program includes dozens of grant and loan programs that will fund things such as energy-efficiency projects, enhancements for local law enforcement and homeless prevention.

As more details of the programs have been released by federal agencies in the last month, new items have been added to Greensboro’s wish list.

“There is some new stuff here. We will see more of it as more details about the stimulus unfold,” said Denise Turner, Greensboro's assistant city manager.

The Greensboro Police Department officials are eyeing federal money for new things that this year’s tight budget might make difficult to fund — including that new $210,000  domestic abuse squad, a $79,000-a-year detective dedicated to Internet crimes against children and take-home cars for police officers, which could cost up to $7.9 million, police Chief Tim Bellamy  said.

The city also hopes the law enforcement grant programs under the recovery program might fund a new firing range.

“Right now we don’t have the funding,” Bellamy said. “We are looking at using federal forfeiture money to pay for it, but we don’t have close to enough.”

The stimulus package also has grant programs that might fit library’s need for new computers at five branch libraries and better wireless at all the branches.

The city’s wish list also includes a $60,000 effort to expand broadband at the libraries, which will help decrease the time it takes for Internet users to download items.

If funded, it would be an overdue upgrade to the library system’s heavily used computer resources, said Tommy Joseph , the library's manager of information.

“It’s really a fairly slow connection when you look at it on a per-computer basis,” Joseph said.

City staff members are also researching whether the city can apply for stimulus money to buy 10 Toyota Priuses at a cost of about $223,000.

The city already has several Priuses in its vehicle fleet, said Chris Payne, Greensboro’s deputy finance director.

The stimulus package includes a $300 million program that can be used to pay part of the cost of hybrid vehicles purchased by state or local governments.

Contact Amanda Lehmert can be reached at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.