8-15 Oshkosh Qualifies for Federal Money

Oshkosh officials are trying to figure out what to do with up to a million federal dollars. The Pentagon says Oshkosh qualifies for at least three-quarter million, in the wake of layoffs to least 950 people this year at the Oshkosh Corporation. The layoffs were caused by a 30-percent drop in the military vehicles made by Oshkosh, due mainly to the near-ending of the Iraq-Afghanistan war. City Manager Mark Rohloff says he had no idea the area qualified for such federal aid until the military contacted him about it last month. The purpose is to get communities moving again, after they lose at least one-percent of their total workforce to defense cuts. The funds will be spread out over several years. The East Central Regional Planning Commission is trying to get ideas on how best to use the money. Among the possible recipients are Fox Valley Technical College, the Oshkosh industrial development group, and municipal governments.