If Carroll County does not receive a portion of President Barack Obama’s $816 billion federal stimulus package, it certainly won’t be because of lack of effort.

Carroll County Administrator Gary Larrowe and Carroll County Board of Supervisors’ Chairman David Hutchins were scheduled to leave for Washington, D.C. on Feb. 3 for a five-day trip to meet with senators, delegates and other government officials in an effort to better position the county for stimulus funds.

Obama’s federal stimulus package is expected to go toward infrastructure such as renovating schools, road improvements, water and sewer projects, broadband deployment, etc. The Carroll County Board of Supervisors approved the school system’s Jan. 12 request to go ahead with construction/renovation plans for a new or renovated high school and intermediate school. The county is also seeking stimulus money for a number of infrastructure projects.

Hutchins said he and Larrowe would spend Feb. 3 and Feb. 4 in the nation’s capitol to seek appointments with Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner and staff, as well as Congressman Rick Boucher. Hutchins and Larrowe will head to Richmond on Thursday to meet with Senator Roscoe Reynolds and local delegates Ward Armstrong and Bill Carrico. The two also plan to spend Friday and Saturday attending the Virginia Association of County’s (VACo) Chairman Institute to gain insight and knowledge into how other counties are battling the economic downturn.

“Gary and I are going to D.C. to seek an audience to try to get a meeting with our elected representatives to ensure that we are least being considered for any projects that we may have that are shovel-ready. We would like to have their support if at all possible pertaining to the stimulus funds we are seeking,” Hutchins said. “We are trying to position ourselves to be ready to take advantage of that stimulus fund. Once it becomes available, we want to have what projects in Carroll County we have in position to be considered.”

It is not a guarantee that Carroll will receive any stimulus funds, but Hutchins said the county is doing everything it can to position itself favorably. During the Jan. 12 board meeting, he said the county hopes to take advantage of any stimulus package benefits that might come Carroll’s way.

“It is going to be a trying year,” Hutchins said, referring to the state of the economy. “There are probably going to be things we are faced with we have never been faced with before. We will probably be entering some water that has never been chartered before.”

Sam Dickson, Chairman of the Carroll County Public Service Authority (PSA), said the county has placed the highest priority on posturing itself in the best possible standing in regards to receiving federal stimulus funds.

“I think we are in just as good of a position, if not better, than other localities. In my opinion, I think we are in better position,” Dickson said. “We’ve put considerable time and effort into positioning ourselves to meet the stimulus as to whatever it happens to be. I think we are ready for a big part of it. It didn’t come without work and effort.”

Dickson said the PSA has more than one project he thinks is in good position for any available funds.

“No one knows what will be available, but we just want to be ready and it is something we want to try to do anyway. It’s just as matter of trying to push and get ready as many projects as we can,” Dickson said. “The administrators and supervisors have worked hard to position ourselves. Once we heard about this, we got to work. We were already looking at everything. We want to be a progressive board and we were looking for anything we could do. If extra funding comes in, that would be great.”

Dickson noted that the PSA awarded construction for public water and sewer at Interstate 77’s Exit 1 in Lambsburg in January to Clark Brothers Co. of Stuart, as well as a recent contract for sewer toward Galax to Landform Construction. The PSA also bid out the construction for sewer at Exit 19 on Thursday.

“There are a lot of things happening, but there a lot more in the planning process,” Dickson said. “We will continue to try to be ready for whatever happens.”