Bill earmarks money for local contracts

MONTROSE  — From thousands of miles away, two local businesses are helping to keep fellow Americans safe.

President George W. Bush signed H.R. 2638, the Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09 CR), into law. The bill provides funding for the federal government into 2009 and includes money for projects involving two area businesses, Montrose's Polystrand and Delta's Weatherport, Alaska Structures.

"For us, it's a question of filling a need in the short term," said Matt Lee-Ashley, communications director for Sen. Ken Salazar, (D-Colo.). "It often takes Congress putting money in quickly before the Pentagon can put money in."

Lee-Ashley said both companies are filling a need for the U.S. military and its troops.

"The defense budgeting process is pretty slow," he said. "Some of these pots of money are able to fulfill needs that are urgent and meet the needs of people in the field right now."

In the bill, $1.6 million is earmarked for procurement of ballistic protection for remote forward operating bases.

About 10 years ago, Gordon Composites, Polystrand sister company, started working with the University of Maine, said Ed Pilpel, president of Polystrand and executive vice president at Gordon Composites. They experimented with combining wood with fiberglass and epoxy composite materials. These products are used in buildings today.

Since, Polystrand has contracted with the Army, developing body and vehicle armor, along with materials that go into MRAP vehicles (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected).

The company then came across another project with an army contract, Pilpel said. The mission was to develop panels that could be used to protect army issued tents. They had to be light enough to be carried by two soldiers and the whole tent structure needed to be set up in less than 60 minutes.

Polystrand will contract with a Maine business to supply the panels.

"Not only do they have to protect against a bullet, they also have to protect against that initial blast which can easily be two times greater than the hardest hurricane that has hit the U.S.," Pilpel said.

The bill also includes $2.4 million for procurement of the Tactical Air Control Extreme Shelters that are created by Weatherport, Alaska Structures.

Weatherport in Delta manufactures a majority of the company's military shelters, said Garrit Boyle, executive vice president, government programs, for Alaska Structures. This money means a larger order for the company, which employs about 150 people, in 2009.

"It will help us sustain our current workforce in Delta," he said.

Weatherport has had other contracts with the military. However, Boyle hopes this leads to more business with the Airforce and seeds future funding for the contract.

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, the Defense Appropriations Act, and the Homeland Securities Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009 are included in the CR.

In addition to the two projects mentioned above, CR funds will be used to build a new National Guard Armory in Grand Junction, improve training for rural law enforcement officials, and restore Colorado's wildfire funds that are critical to hazardous fuels reduction and wildfire suppression efforts in the region, according to a news release from Sen. Salazar.