By By MIKE VOSS
mike@wdnweb.com
Contributing Editor
During its meeting Monday, Washington’s City Council is expected to discuss several grants.
In a memorandum to the council, mayor and interim city manager, Robbie Rose, Washington’s fire chief, explains the Fire-Rescue-EMS Department’s intention to apply for a fire prevention and safety grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant would be used buy automatic extinguishing devices that attach under residential cooking hoods. The devices would help reduce the occurrence of cooking fires, according to Rose’s memorandum.
“Our intentions are to apply for funding in the amount of $30,000 to purchase at least 1,000 of these devices, and hopefully more with competitive pricing,” Rose said. “Federal funding, if granted, would be 95 percent ($28,500), with our 5 percent match of $1,500.”
Rose said the city’s contribution could be absorbed by the current budget or upcoming budget, depending on if and when the city is awarded the grant.
Rose said this grant program is highly competitive. The deadline to apply for such a grant is Feb. 4.
In her memorandum to the council, Gloria Moore, director of Brown Library, asks permission to apply for a Library Services and Technology Act grant to pay for a computer mobile lab.
The grant would be approximately $25,000, with a 20 percent match from the city. The city’s contribution would be allocated in the 2011-2012 budget, according to Moore’s memorandum.
“The grant would add 10 laptop computers that would be used to teach patrons how to fill out resumes, how to fill out job applications, how to use the Internet, and e-mail protocol,” Moore said. “In addition, it would include adding an access point in the multi-purpose room where the classes would be taught by volunteers.”
Last year, the council told city department heads and other city employees it wanted to be kept apprised of grant opportunities for the city so it would know how much, if any, the city would have to contribute to receive a grant and consider such contributions when developing budgets or amending budgets.