Coalition releases stimulus wish list

Urban mayors in North Carolina have their wish list ready.

The N.C. Metropolitan Coalition released a list Friday with $2.8 billion in infrastructure projects it said could be started immediately.

The list includes buses for Raleigh, fire stations in Greensboro and Cary, light rail enhancements in Charlotte, a public library renovation in Chapel Hill and repairs to sidewalks, water and sewer lines, and parks around the state.

The group said it hopes to persuade the state and federal government to direct some of a planned economic stimulus package to local governments.

"Our goal in releasing this list is not to advocate for individual projects but to show cities' ability to deploy the stimulus money quickly on important local infrastructure projects," said Rocky Mount Mayor David Combs, co-chairman of the coalition's economic development committee.

The nonpartisan coalition was founded in 2001 and represents the state's 26 largest cities.

The list does not include a request for $20 million in Community Development Block Grants for a "minor league baseball museum" in Durham that was included in a wish list from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

That project and others have been criticized as pork by some.