DAYTON, Ohio -- At a construction site along State Route 274 in Logan County, Kurt Stahler is working on a construction project funded through the $787 billion federal stimulus program.

A new bridge there will not only help traffic, including shipments from the local Honda plant, but will also provide local workers with a paycheck.

"I think it is great for employment. Boosts the economy around here. Keeps everybody working," Stahler said.

The project is among hundreds of sites statewide where the federal government is spending money in hopes of putting people back to work.

In a nine county area ranging from Bellefontaine to downtown Dayton, the stimulus funding amounts to $25 million in highway projects alone.

The company working on the Logan County bridge has hired a few new workers, but critics of the stimulus program are not satisfied with the pace of job creation.

In an interview with WHIOTV.COM, U.S. Rep. Steve Austria said the program is not working as promoted by Congress and the President.

"We do not see jobs being created, especially in the private sector," Austria said.

One of the largest stimulus grants in the Miami Valley has gone to the Community Action Partnership, a nonprofit organization based in Dayton, serving Butler, Darke, Greene, Montgomery, Preble and Warren counties.

The agency has been awarded $18 million for home weatherization projects over the next two years. So far, CAP has hired a total of 20 people for weatherization crews, scheduling and contract compliance.

What happens when the money runs out? John Bennett, CAP Communications Director, said the agency is hoping to find other funding sources to keep the crews working.

Some of the stimulus funds have gone to local research projects.

Thomas Willis, President of Precision Energy and Technology, received $100,000 through the National Science Foundation. His company is doing research on fuel cells that produce electricity.

"We have hired people that have expertise in injection molding and have used them part time in our facility," Willis said.

If the company's research is successful, Willis hopes to win additional stimulus funding through the NSF. That, he said, could produce additional jobs.

Tracking down where the stimulus money is going in the Miami Valley does not require the footwork necessary to travel from construction sites to research. labs.

It is as easy as logging on to the federal government's website at WWW.RECOVERY.GOV.

Enter your five digit postal code into the search box and a map will display where non-highway stimulus projects are being funded.

For information on highway-related sites and other spending, go to the state of Ohio's website at RECOVERY.OHIO.GOV.

According to the administration of Gov. Ted Strickland, so far Ohio has spent $1.6 billion of the $8.5 billion that the state is expected to receive from the stimulus program

jim.otte@whiotv.com