Mayor Charmaine Tavares yesterday announced the county will receive $1 million in federal Economic Development Agency funding for planning and design of a long-awaited municipal parking structure in Wailuku and $850,000 toward design of a new emergency management center.

Tavares announced the funding during her State of the County address in Council Chambers.

Addressing the economic recession, the mayor said she is working with other mayors to fight a "devastating" state proposal to keep the counties' share of the transient accommodations tax, which provides a good chunk of county revenues.

Tavares noted her administration's commitment to fund capital improvement projects and cited $127 million in planned infrastructure spending.

She also said the county submitted 58 "Ready to Go" projects totaling more than $200 million as part of President Obama's economic stimulus package that will focus on reinvesting in the nation's infrastructure.

The full speech is at www.mauicounty.gov/CivicAlerts.asp?CID=30.