Surely, you remember the feeling of finding money in the greeting card that your aunt sent you on your birthday. Well, that’s the same feeling we get when we receive news of being approved for a grant. We’re happy to report that three grants have been awarded to the City and our partners.
A Transportation Enhancement Grant in the amount of $207k will be used to make improvements to the walkability of the Livernois-Avon intersection and around Veterans Memorial Pointe.
Another grant will save us $13k in replacing a generator at the Grant Lift Station. And kudos and thank you’s go out to those of you who voted online for the Clinton River Watershed Council to receive a $25k grant from Miller Coors for riverbank restoration. The CRWC won that public election by a mere 5 votes and now finds a big check in a greeting card. However, my plan to celebrate with a Miller/Coors keg party in front of city hall was soundly discouraged by HR. You can check out the press release below for more details on our grant success.
I’m also pleased to announce a new Shared Service Agreement between the Building Department and the City of Sterling Heights, and another shared service agreement with Auburn Hills and Rochester for our DPS facility.
I’m very proud of our team’s efforts to identify and seize these new opportunities. Keep up the good work and stay the course!
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On a personal note, I want to thank all of you who have asked and provided prayer support on the adoption of my sister’s baby. My family is blessed and I am excited to share the news that on March 8th, my sister and her husband returned from Ethiopia with their new daughter, and youngest member of the Barnett family, Wubnesh Shiloh Asche.
We needed good news like this to help us forget that all of our basketball teams were eliminated from the tournament earlier than expected. And with the arrival of opening day, I would just like to add, “GO TIGERS!”
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Next Council Meeting: Monday, April 2, 2012
At a press conference held earlier today, Mayor Barnett announced the city has been awarded nearly $250,000 in grant funding to implement three different projects in 2012.
“Our innovative staff continues to aggressively seek grants and partnerships to advance projects in our city. I am so proud of our team and look forward to these exciting enhancements in our community,” states Mayor Bryan K. Barnett.
The first grant was given by the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA) who awarded $13,000 to Rochester Hills for the reconstruction of the Grant Pump Station and will be used to purchase a backup generator.
“Even though the project has been approved through the capital improvement plan and funding was already identified, we proactively sought out funding to assist in deferring project costs,” states Allan Schneck, Director of the Department of Public Services.
The second announcement comes from MillerCoors and River Network. Residents may recall seeing a request to vote online to support a grant that was submitted by the Clinton River Watershed Council, in partnership with the City of Rochester Hills. In perhaps one of the closest nationwide contests, the votes have been tallied and winning by only five votes in a month-long voting campaign, the largest grant of $25,000 was awarded to the Clinton River Watershed Council and Rochester Hills. The funds will be utilized for streambank restoration projects, public access development and ongoing public awareness initiatives around the Clinton River.
"We are excited to partner with the city on such a great project, and we appreciate all the hard work and help from our stakeholders in getting the word out to vote," stated Michele Arquette-Palermo, Education and Stewardship Director CRWC.
The third and final grant was awarded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to Rochester Hills, and is only one of four cities to receive funding in 2012. The funding will be used to construct non-motorized pathway connections and aesthetic improvements at the intersection and along Livernois Road and Avon Road in Rochester Hills.
The project will coincide with the Road Commission for Oakland County's (RCOC) projects to install new bridges on both Livernois Road and Avon Road where they cross the Clinton River.
“Projects like these help stem the national trend of rising bike and pedestrian accidents. The city and road commission are great partners in providing safe and efficient transportation facilities for all users, making Rochester Hills a more attractive place to live, work, and do business,” states Mike Kapp, Administrator, MDOT Office of Economic Development
The RCOC projects will include the addition of non-motorized accommodations on the bridges, as well as other pedestrian friendly improvements to the park area. The total cost of the project is $345,825 with $207,495 in grant funds and requires a match of $138,330 from Rochester Hills.
“Securing grant funding requires extensive research and is highly competitive. To receive not only one, but three grants, shows that we are committed to finding creative ways to finance projects that wouldn’t otherwise happen,” states Tara Beatty, Mayor’s Chief Assistant & Grant Coordinator.
More details on the grant projects can be found online at the Clinton River Watershed Council, crwc.org, or by visiting the City of Rochester Hills, rochesterhills.org.
 So can anyone tell me what this picture depicts? It is the unused road salt currently stockpiled at DPS…not really, but the City as well as the region experienced the fairest winter season in recent history. While Winter activities such as skiing, ice skating, sledding were unable to be enjoyed, the City enjoyed less salt expenditures and wear & tear on vehicles/equipment traditionally experienced during a Winter season. Some quick facts:
- November 1, 2010 – February 28, 2011 (4707 tons of salt @ $47.25/ton) - $222,405
- November 1, 2011— February 29, 2012, (2130 tons of salt @ $46.51/ton) - $99,066
City Personnel Expenses
- 2010-2011 Winter season $94,081.08
- 2011-2012 Winter season $16,619.44 (an over 82% savings)
The cities of Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester entered into an Interlocal Service Agreement for public works services as of March 19, 2012. The agreement formalizes an ongoing tri-city collaborative partnership that allows for cooperation between the three communities when public works assistance is requested by one city and one, or both, of the other cities are in a position to provide help.
Under the Interlocal agreement, service requests may include personnel, equipment, facilities, materials and any other resources available that are common to public works and service operations. Each community has specific areas of expertise, specialized skills, knowledge, equipment and tools that are difficult to obtain from other service providers to perform economically, properly and in a timely manner.
This Interlocal agreement brings together three city departments that all place a premium on training, education and safety. Each community meets or exceeds specific federal, state and local laws and standards to ensure the public’s safety and welfare. This gives us a high degree of confidence going into the formal agreement that it will be a positive move for residents and corporate citizens.
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