Chattanooga Times Free Press

Group seeks more state funding for infrastructure
By Ashley Rowland Staff Writer

A new nonprofit organization is asking Tennessee legislators to
consider spending more money on things such as roads and sewers when the General Assembly convenes this month.

In a Tuesday letter to members of the General Assembly, Pete Delay,
chairman of the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance, wrote that paying for infrastructure has critical implications for the state's future.

"Tennessee's infrastructure has been neglected, and unless it receives adequate attention, our infrastructure will not be sufficient to meet the demands of our growing communities," he stated in the letter.

The one-page letter cited an October 2005 study by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, commonly known as TACIR, that says the state will need $24.4 billion for infrastructure needs through 2008. The report says only $10.1 billion of that amount is available.

Hamilton County needs more than $881 million for its infrastructure needs through 2008, according to the Infrastructure Alliance.

TACIR chairman Rep. Randy Rinks, D-Savannah, said the report, which is issued periodically, was "fairly typical."

"There's never enough money to go around to cover all the infrastructure needs since I've been here," the 15-year veteran lawmaker said.

Rep. Rinks said he doesn't expect the General Assembly to do anything about infrastructure needs this year.

"You've got an election coming up, and I think TennCare is going to
overshadow some of that," he said. "It's just not on everybody's radar screen."

TACIR is a state commission that monitors and makes recommendations for improving relations among federal, state and local officials. Its members include lawmakers from state and local governments.

Mr. Delay's letter gives no suggestions about how lawmakers should pay for more infrastructure needs.

Infrastructure Alliance spokesman Rob Ikard said the point of the letter was to raise awareness about the need for more infrastructure funding.

"It's not a tell-you-how-toget-there kind of thing. It's just sort of a
message that you need to try to get there," he said.

Mr. Ikard said governments need to address paying for infrastructure
improvements before funding problems become too great.

"There's so many other priorities for governments, like education and
health care, which always get a lot of attention," he said.

Mr. Delay stated in the letter that the Tennessee Infrastructure Alliance is a "new grassroots organization comprised of business and community leaders."

The group organized in early 2005. Mr. Delay is president of
Sherman-Dixie Concrete Industries, which has an office in Nashville.
Other board members include a representative from a construction company and a member of the Blount County Highway Department, according to the organization's Web site.

E-mail Ashley Rowland at arowland@timesfreepress.com

This story was published Thursday, January 05, 2006