gmhTODAY 24 gmhTODAY Feb March 2019 | Page 38

City Beat Grants Make a Difference for City of Morgan Hill By Maureen Tobin, Communications & Engagement Manager Public Safety Command Vehicle purchased with State Homeland Security Grant. A n important and ongoing priority for the City of Morgan Hill is maintaining fiscal responsibility. While there are many ways the City works to maintain fiscal respon- sibility and be good financial stewards, something that is rarely receives attention is the City’s efforts in pursuing grants that provide financial resources for things that make a positive impact for the Morgan Hill community. Although the City operates with a lean staffing model and does not employee a full- time grant writer, the City has creatively found ways to identify grants and submit many successful grant proposals. Over the last few years the City has become more and more successful in grant writing, often with a significant team effort from across departments. The City regularly applies for and receives risk management grants, law enforcement grants, homeland security grants and grants which supplement capital improvement projects. Some are quite significant, as in the $2 million grant for the inclusive playground and some are much smaller, but all make a difference. Examples of successful grant applications during the past year include: $2 Million All Inclusive Playground Grant Early in 2018, the City of Morgan Hill was awarded a $2 million All-Inclusive Playground Grant by the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. This funding was a huge win for the Morgan Hill inclusive playground, which recently had designs approved by the Morgan Hill City Council. The park is tentatively planned to start construction later this year at Morgan Hill’s Community Park. $65,100 Transportation for Clean Air (TFCA) Grant In September of 2018, staff received confirmation from the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) that the Main Avenue Bike Lane and Sidewalk project would receive funding in the amount of $65,100. The TFCA grant amount of 38 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN $65,100 will be applied towards the construction, thereby reducing the City’s contribution. The proposed bikeway improvements are intended to encourage walking and biking and provide a safer east/west connection to El Toro Elementary School, Live Oak High School, Butterfield Linear Path and Downtown. It is anticipated that this could reduce the number of single occupant vehicles on the road, reduce emissions, and promote a healthy lifestyle.  $140,250 California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) 404 Hazard Mitigation Grant In October 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) notified CalOES, that the City of Morgan Hill’s grant application for funding of part of the emergency backup generator for the Centennial Recreation Center was approved, and the grant would support approxi- mately 60% of the estimated total project cost, or $140,249.80. The Centennial Recreation Center (CRC) is a multipurpose building that supports a range of uses and clientele. With a backup generator, in times of natural hazards/disasters, the CRC can also help provide continuity of service to 16,100 people. The facility has shower and kitchen facilities and is a designated Red Cross Emergency shelter, making the backup generator a significant priority. $700,000 State Homeland Security Grant The City of Morgan was awarded a total of $700,000 (through two grant cycles) to purchase a public safety command vehicle. The South County Command Vehicle will enhance inter- operability for police/fire/medical first responders enabling them to quickly provide required information to the Emergency Operations Center during any type of crisis. This will also bridge any communication gaps to effectively communicate with other command vehicles in the Bay Area such as those in Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Palo Alto.  The vehicle was delivered in December 2018. february/march 2019 gmhtoday.com