| Bruce Board Challenged To Go After More Grants |
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By JOEL McNEECE The Bruce mayor and board of aldermen were challenged to seek more grants to meet city needs at Tuesday's meeting. Carter Parr, who serves on the city's zoning board of adjustment, said Mike Carver, a friend of his at Willis Engineering, told him there were grants of close to $500,000 available at the end of October that the city of Bruce wasn't taking advantage of. Parr said it's too late now, that applications had to be in by the end of October, but said the city has many needs, such as the water and sewer system and the board should be more proactive. Mayor Robert Edward Oakley said he spoke with both of the city's grant writers affiliated with Willis Engineering in the past few weeks, and the only grants available were a $1-to-$1 match. Oakley said just because the city hasn't received a grant lately doesn't mean they aren't seeking any. He explained that money is tight and the grant process is extremely competitive. Oakley said the city has sought grants through Willis and other channels. He outlined a series of grants secured by the city over the past 15 months, highlighted by the more than $800,000 in total grants received for the Haworth (United Chair) project. Oakley did express concern about the potential of an employee of Willis Engineering, who is hired by the city, making public what might be private business of the city. Oakley noted how confidentiality can be critical in some instances of the grant process. Board Attorney Jim Beckett, who also serves Dist. 23 as a state legislator, emphasized the competitiveness of the grant market right now. "I assure you, less than 10% of the requests are getting funded at all right now," Beckett said. He explained the schedule of grant funding from the state and said he finds it hard to believe grant money could have been available to anyone in October, unless someone previously awarded had declined a grant at the last minute. Alderman Johnny Armstrong spoke up about water and sewer problems in South Bruce and said he wants the board to make sure all possible is being done to secure whatever funds might be available. Public Works Director Larry Blackwelder said the sewer project on Murphree Street the city wanted to get done would now cost more than $400,000. "It would cost millions to fix all our water and sewer problems," Blackwelder said. "We just have to do the best we can." "We're not going to get a grant from the state for enough money to replace our sewer system," Beckett said. "It's not that we don't want to do something to address these issues," Oakley said. "But where is the money going to come from?" In other news, Mayor Oakley urged citizens putting leaves and brush by the street for city pickup to separate the piles. Leaves, brush, limbs and other items all need to be in separate piles to enable the vacuum on the truck to work properly. |