Letter to the editor: Stimulus money is for survival, not pet projects

A $2.2 trillion stimulus bill has been approved by our federal government. These funds were designated to help our country survive this crisis by helping people, companies, airports, etc. to get through this time of lost income and revenue.

My fear is that this money will be used for projects or expenses unrelated to this crisis. An example would be renovating the taxiways at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The article “Arnold Palmer airport eyes coronavirus stimulus package for assist with taxiway project” (March 26, TribLIVE) seemed to imply that the $10 billion designated for airports could be a source of funding for any project. The money designated for airports is intended to help them get through this time of significantly reduced business by offsetting the lost revenue and to keep the airports operating, not for capital projects that are already planned.

This bill was just passed and people are already looking for ways to tap into this money for pet projects not related to the current crisis. I hope that our government officials will manage this money in a responsible manner.

John Wolfgang

Hempfield