OTTAWA — Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce president Tom Weigand said that it won’t be long before it’s know whether a proposed Burlington Northern Santa Fe intermodal freight site near Gardner wins a state grant. The federal government is scheduled to award Tiger transportation grants during the first week of January, he said. The state requested $50 million for the project. However, $55 billion is available but the U.S. Department of Transportation received more than $360 billion in requests, Weigand said. However, the federal government is particularly interested in funding new intermodal and port facilities, which is good news, he said. When the intermodal center is built, Franklin County should experience an economic boom, he said. Weigand presented a year-end review of the local economy to city and county commissioners last week.
