State and town officials across New Hampshire have been preparing for the passing of the latest economic stimulus proposal, and now that it’s official, the waiting game begins for potential projects.

Several towns in the area began scrambling to finalize plans for projects in hopes that potential stimulus money could help fund some, if not all of the work.

In Hooksett, town officials scrambled to prepare a warrant article for residents to approve dealing with upgrades to the town’s wastewater treatment facility and compost facility.

The town is asking for $9.4 million for the project, with taxpayers paying 25 percent and the other $7 million coming from a potential grant from money made available to the state.

If the article is passed but the grant is not given to Hooksett, the article is voided.

“The article had to be rather vague, and the council had trouble getting their mind around it,” said Sewer Commission Chairman Sid Baines. “We did what we were supposed to do so we could be in the ballgame. We had to have something. We’re proposing something that can be adjusted at the floor.”

Bow taxpayers approved a sewer and water project in 2000, authorizing a $12 million bond designed to attract businesses to Route 3A.

The project has not yet gone forward for various reasons, but with plans for the stimulus coming closer to fruition, selectmen agreed to send the project out to bid in late January in order to be eligible when the proposal was passed.

Leon Kenison, chairman for the Board of Selectmen, said town officials have been cautiously optimistic as they hope for money to fund the project.

“On the one hand, we’re hopeful that we’ll be eligible for funding that will come through,” said Kenison. “However, on the other hand we are realists, and we know there are many others also seeking funding. It would certainly be nice if we could use some for this project.”

Bedford Town Manager Russ Marcoux said the town prepared a modest list of projects it hoped to have funded by the state, including work on Route 101.

In total, Bedford town officials asked for $8.45 million in projects from the state’s part of the stimulus money.

“Whatever money is put aside for local communities will be on first-come, first-serve and shovel-ready within a 90-day period. Most projects we can be ready if we have to be,” Marcoux said. “We’ve been in constant contact with the state throughout and we’re feeling fairly comfortable that it’ll be funded, but I am hesitant to say in total.”

In Gov. John Lynch’s recent proposed budget, he suggests suspending rebates on the room and meal tax and also revenue sharing, making up the difference with stimulus money.

Marcoux said those two areas would lead to a loss of a projected $1.88 million in revenues for the town, which would mean Bedford taxpayers would feel the impact of about 36 cents on the tax rate.

“I don’t think it’s been well thought out. There is no cookiecutter community financing. All of the towns are different,” Marcoux said. “For us to find out halfway through the year that we’ll lose revenue through the state is not conscionable to me. We need to be prepared.”

One project that will definitely receive assistance from the approved stimulus package will be the improvements on I- 93 at Exit 3 in Windham.

The project is currently out to bid, and project manager Peter Stamnas said with the down state of the economy, construction workers will be eager to get their hands on the work.

“We expect to receive a good number of bids. People are hungry, they’re sharpening their pencils and we’re getting competitive bids,” said Stamnas. “In most cases they just want to keep the people that they have employed. It’s going to keep people working, there’s no doubt about that.”

The project is being estimated at about $31 million, and was supposed to go out to bid last August until financial concerns delayed it.

Stamnas said seeing towns across the state preparing to receive stimulus money from the state is unlike anything he’s seen before.

“There’s always a line to get those available funds that are allotted for town infrastructure programs,” Stamnas said. “I think it tends to be years ahead that you have to plan. When there’s an opportunity for municipality to get the funding, it is a fairly rare occasion.