Officials in Lee County announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Energy will award stimulus funding for local projects in the amount of $3,046,600.

Wilbur Smith Associates submitted a grant application on behalf of Lee County to fund construction ready projects which include a bio-diesel plant, bike path, signal retiming, solar panels for a community center, and various utility projects. A complete list of the projects is available on http://www.lee-county.com/recovery/Pages/default.aspx.

The projects will create a total of 123 jobs and will be under construction within six months, officials said.

Lee County is committed to reducing fossil fuel emissions, reducing total energy usage, and improving energy efficiency, as well as stimulating the economy by immediately putting people to work through the implementation of capital projects, officials said.

Paul Wingard, the deputy director for the Lee County Department of Transportation, was instrumental in the successful award of these stimulus dollars, officials said.

Source: Lee County government