$862,778 in outstanding federal and state grant money has finally been paid to the city of Auburn. The repaid funds, some of which date back to 1999, are intended to be used for road projects including South and Genesee streets, the Lake Avenue bridge and the Arterial greenway.

With some of the money almost a decade past due, one might wonder why the city didn't press for the funds sooner.

City manager Mark Palesh blames turnover at the state transportation department and communication delays for the hold-up. Apparently waiting for a return call or an e-mail can take months at the city level. Not something I doubt, but something that should certainly be addressed.

Frankly, I am more curious to learn where the federal government, who paid out most of the money, borrowed the funds from. I find it hard to believe that nearly one million dollars was simply tucked away in a trust, waiting for the city of Auburn to come claim it. It's ridiculous. I'm beginning to think that money really does grow on trees.

I read that the national debt is more than $9 trillion dollars. Stop me if I'm wrong, but how can you lend money if you owe money? Of course, I would rather see federal money spent at home than on the ceaseless war overseas. But if the federal government didn't have the money to begin with, where is the money coming from? What project was swept under the rug to guarantee the city's payout?

It's money-juggling. I do it myself. If my car needs a costly repair, I have to rearrange my finances to address the immediate problem. But if it takes 10 years for an endowment to cross your desk, how much juggling is the federal government doing? And let's not ignore the state. Though a relatively small payout in comparison, if the state couldn't scrape together $21,000, it's no wonder the state's economy is in such shambles.

Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic that the city of Auburn has finally received money to begin road projects. But with winter approaching, I doubt we'll see much road construction until spring of 2009. In the meantime, with the state and federal economies crumbling, I wonder if the city can hang onto the money through the long winter.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Estabrook's column appears Mondays and she can be reached at estabrookcarole@yahoo.com