FARMINGTON – Getting a large amount of federal stimulus money out into the community is complex, Maine’s Finance Commissioner Ryan Low told a gathering at the Western Maine Legislative Breakfast on Friday.

“There are a 100 different funding streams in the package (a 1,200 page Recovery Act document) but no road map,” he explained to the crowd at the University of Maine at Farmington. Rules and guidelines are not in place yet and the new administration doesn’t have the staff in place to make the rules, he said.

Low, along with local legislators, formed a panel to explain the potential benefits to Maine and the local western mountain area. He was joined by Sen. Walter Gooley, R-Farmington, Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, Rep. Tom Saviello, U-Wilton, and Rep. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington.

Funds should start flowing into Maine within the next several weeks for transportation, labor programs and education, he said. Transportation funds are on a use or lose basis with about 120 days to apply them to a project.

An estimated $74 million was approved Thursday for extending unemployment benefits for Mainers, and education can expect a boost of $158 million with $129 million of that for grades K-12 and $29 million of higher education.

To avoid a complicated application process and abuse of funds, the state has worked since December to segregate anticipated funds into accounts across state government. A detailed preaudit and check list of fund use is expected of each agency on the receiving line, he said.

The Web site www.mainerecovery.gov provides specific details of how much money is coming to the state, where it’s being spent, contracts for projects, resources and grant information, he said. Each project is described and justified and weekly reports on progress and amounts spent are listed. The Web site is a test model for a future state funding Web site, he said.

The big transportation project for Maine is I-95 between Gardiner and Brunswick, said Sen. Gooley who serves on the transportation committee. The project is expected to create 800 jobs at a cost of $35 million, he said.

The 120-day turnaround on funding is a problem for smaller projects but the good news is bids on projects are highly competitive and coming in lower. Gooley did mention road/bridge projects to be done in Farmington, New Sharon, Eustis and New Portland.

Creating and maintaining jobs is the focus of the funding, Saviello said. Pluses include hospital payments, a teacher performance-based incentive fund and mentoring program, more money for college work-study students, and energy funds to insulate low-income homes, energy efficiency projects and audits.

While expecting stimulus projects to produce even more projects, Sen. Nutting reminded the group of what’s not in the package: the forestry industry, lobster/clam and seafood industry, and agriculture including potatoes and dairy, he said.

Harvell reminded those attending of the downside to stimulus funds . . . someone has to pay for it. He endorsed discussions among the people and government stating, “We want things but we don’t want to pay for them.”