It's Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. The day American shoppers will spend about $8 billion to buy electronics, the year's must-have toy and the brand-new kitchen gadgets that do it all.

Those dollar amounts, big as they are, are nothing compared to the checks the federal government was writing earlier this year to jump-start the economy.

So what special deals did the American people pick up this year through that $787 billion stimulus package?

The good news is some of it went to Utah County, and organizations have been spending it. Just how much is left isn't quite clear, but two different organizations estimate between $40 million and $50 million in federal funds has been spent in the last eight months, much of it on road construction and maintenance.

According to Onvia, a private company that tracks government contracting activity, $40.8 million came to Utah County for a variety of projects, including road, trail and sidewalk work, energy efficient projects and weed spraying. The 23 projects that received money also added 243 jobs, primarily construction, into the economy.

According to the state's Recovery Web site, the county has been awarded about $150 million in funds and has spent almost $50 million. Most of the difference is made up by the $106 million intended for education, which is 71 percent of the county's share, plus a few other projects, such as Meals on Wheels and weatherization for low-income housing.

The Utah Department of Transportation got 12 projects fully or partially funded. Once they had the money, they did the work, said region 3 spokesman Scott Thompson.

"Once the federal stimulus came out, we got all the projects out statewide pretty much done this summer," he said.

Several million dollars went into pavement rehabilitation and widening, and intersection improvement along University Avenue, which also is U.S. 189 into Provo Canyon. The federal government also footed the bill for roadway reconstruction in American Fork, trail work in Lehi, road work on State Street from Provo to Pleasant Grove, and sidewalk construction from Payson to Santaquin.

The projects selected for funding were simple to get through the system -- or 'shovel-ready,' as they were termed earlier this year -- ready to get designed, advertised and contracted out. Many were preventive or maintenance projects.

"They were projects that we would normally eventually get to, but they weren't necessarily high-priority projects," he said. "This money allowed us to get to them earlier than we normally would have."

Orem city received $890,800 and Lehi received $180,100 for some energy efficiency work. Orem City Manager Jim Reams said those funds are going into remodeling the city center to make it more energy efficient after an audit from Rocky Mountain Power highlighted some weaknesses in the 35-year-old structure. That should be going out to bid in the next few weeks, he said.

Provo received more than $300,000 in two partial grants for gang mentoring and alternative fuel trucks; the city has applied for several other grants and are waiting to hear back. An $8 million grant for a smart grid energy project and an $800,000 grant to hire four new police officers were denied.

Want to know more? Go to the Daily Herald's Web site for links to the state's Web site and Onvia's tracking system.

• Heidi Toth can be reached at 344-2556 or htoth@heraldextra.com.

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