High profile stimulus project creates few jobs

When officials at the U.S. General Services Administration in Washington were deciding what to do with billions in federal stimulus funds, spurring job growth and making federal buildings more energy-efficient were at the top of the agenda. But one high-profile project — the $22.7 million renovation of the William J. Green Federal Building and James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse complex in Center City — may turn out to be a boondoggle for taxpayers. William Stull, a Temple economics professor, said the project probably can't be justified on a cost-benefit analysis. "The numbers don't add up," he said.
March 30, 2011 | Philadelphia Inquirer