GUSTINE – Two city officials went to the nation’s capital recently to help raise awareness at the federal level of issues facing Merced County and to explore what stimulus funds might be available to aid Gustine.

City Council member Joe Oliveira and City Manager Margaret Silveira were part of the Merced County Association of Government’s One Voice delegation which sprinted through a tight schedule of 28 meetings over three days in Washington, D.C.

The short-staffed Gustine Police Department could be one of the city’s biggest beneficiaries of the federal stimulus program.

Silveira said the stimulus program is pouring additional funding into the COPS grant program which helps cities put more officers on the street. The city has applied for funds that would allow the department to fill two vacant positions that have been frozen due to budgetary concerns, and is hoping to get some funding to help restore a school resource officer position.

The COPS program pays for positions for three years, and cities make a commitment to keep the officers at least one year after that.

“It sounded like we should have a good chance of getting that funding,” Oliveira noted.

Silveira said the city is also hoping to land a stimulus-funded grant to pick up a portion of the planned water system improvements.

“We have to be aggressive about it and get our applications in to see what happens,” the city manager reflected.

The city does expect to receive more than $200,000 in stimulus funds being allocated through Caltrans. In all likelihood that money will be used for sidewalk improvements, Silveira said.

She and Oliveira said the Washington trip is essential on a county and city level to establish and strengthen contacts at the federal level, make federal representatives and agencies aware of local needs, seek out potential funding sources for projects and learn how to access those programs.

Past contacts, such as those established with the USDA, are of ongoing benefit to Gustine, Oliveira and Silveira stated.

“They are very good about following up on anything that might be beneficial to us,” Silveira noted.

Silveira also met with representatives of the Department of Energy during the late March trip to learn what assistance might be available to two energy-related enterprises with an interest in Gustine. One involves the manufacture of bio-fuels, the city officials said, while the other involves the research and development of crystal semi-conductors which could be used in solar cell devices and other technology.

The One Voice delegation’s top priority was to gain support for the proposed Los Banos by-pass project. The group of 15 leaders from throughout the county also brought water, education and healthcare issues facing Merced County to the attention of federal officials.

“We hit water hard. Senator Feinstein is very well aware of the water issues,” Oliveira said. “They are listening, and they do realize that water is critical in California.”

Oliveira noted that Congressman Dennis Cardoza is asking that Merced County be designated an economic disaster area, which would make more federal assistance available.

It is imperative that the county – and Gustine – take their issues to Washington, Oliveira and Silveira said.

“This year of all years you didn’t want to miss (because of the stimulus funding),” said Oliveira, who chairs the MCAG governing board. “I’m of the opinion that two representatives should go every year, and one should be a staff member. You need somebody who can wade through the technical materials and all the details.”

Silveira said she believes the trip will prove to be a sound investment by the city.

“Because of our budget constraints I was not going to go, but as the time got closer and all the stimulus funding was coming out, I decided it was important to be there to see what we could bring to Gustine,” she remarked. “We try to get the biggest bang for the buck. There are a lot of things that come out of this trip. Even if we don’t get any additional stimulus money, what we’ve learned will be of ongoing benefit to the city.”