Ah, was it it not just Friday where comments swirled about just what the grants co-ordinator was up to? Matt “Mad Max” Breslow delivers a Norwalk Advocate article profiling the progress. From the Advocate:
When the city hired a full-time grants coordinator one year ago, Mayor Richard Moccia cautioned that it would take time for the move to pay off.
Still, Katherine Pytleski helped garner the city more than $1 million in grants in the 12 months since she arrived in Norwalk.
Moccia, who promised during his 2005 run for mayor that he would hire a full-time grants coordinator, last week reiterated the admonition that creating the job should not be expected to bring the city millions overnight.
Ok it’s a start. And the grants procured have been:
Of the sum she helped secure for the city in the past year, more than half came from a homeland security grant awarded after she rewrote the application, which had been rejected before she was hired.
Other grants she secured will help the city continue running its summer youth-employment program, which lost a funding source when the 10-year federal grant for Norwalk Weed and Seed expired last year.
“That’s a very important program,” Pytleski said of the summer employment offering, “and it helps occupy youths who might otherwise not find a job.”
Another priority, she said, is seeking funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fix neighborhood flooding problems.
“So far we’re in the application phase,” Pytleski said.
The application discusses replacing some storm drainage pipes with larger ones.
However, Pytleski said Norwalk is competing for part of a limited pool of $250,000 FEMA made available for Connecticut municipalities in the most recent funding round.
Homeland security funding has been another focus for Pytleski. She wrote grant applications that brought the city $914,000 in federal money, dispensed by the state, for the police and fire departments.
The homeland security money mostly was earmarked for training and equipment including a decontamination tent, ballistic helmets, gas masks, radiation meters and computer hardware and software.
Yet, homeland security money is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg on grants. Tapping into the talent of the commissions and boards might be a successful idea to generate a 5 year plan to solicit areas worth getting grants. And, making available what grants have been applied for on the city web site would be nice as well.
source: Norwalk Advocate, Grants position begins to pay off for Norwalk, By Matt Breslow, June 3, 2007
