Grantwriter secured $650K for Village of Albion in 2016
ALBION – The Village of Albion was awarded $649,629 in grants in 2016, which village officials said was a big turn on its investment in a grantwriter.
“Those are pretty good results,” Mayor Dean London said during Wednesday’s Village Board meeting.
The village in 2015 hired J O’Connell & Associates from Clarence at $34,000 annually to put together grant applications for the village.
The firm had five successful grant applications in 2016, highlighted by $499,605 from the state for improvements at Bullard Park, including a new splash pad, amphitheater and other upgrades.
Other successful grants included:
• $75,000 from the state “Local Initiatives Support Corporation” to address “zombie” properties – a remediation plan for vacant houses.
• $50,000 for Bullard Park from the State. Sen. Robert Ortt through the State and Municipal Facilities Program. Those funds covered about half the costs of the new playground at Bullard.
• $23,344 in a drinking water fluoridation grant through the State Department of Health.
• $1,500 from the Landmark Society of Western New York for study of the chapel at Mount Albion Cemetery.
J O’Connell & Associates submitted a report detailing the grant activity for 2016. The firm also noted a $500,000 grant from the state for Main Street improvements was denied. The village wants to pursue that funding again in 2017.
O’Connell also applied for a grant for a historic marker from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, but was denied in that request.
Other grant applications are pending, including a $267,110 request through FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for pagers, and $2,000 from the Rochester Area Community Foundation towards a playground.